Dual hose reel

ABSTRACT

A reel for maintaining in a taut condition two parallel hose operating under different and variable fluid conditions such as encountered in the operation of the upright of industrial lift trucks having a carriage with an attachment thereon. The reel has a pair of reel sections rotatably mounted on a hub having longitudinal fluid passages therein. Each reel section is driven in the direction to wind the hose by a coil spring connected at one end to the reel section and at the other end to the hub, and includes a coupling and passages connecting the hose of each section with one of the fluid passages in the hub. A bracket secured to one end of the hub mounts the reel on a supporting structure, and s plate mounted on the other end of the hub closes the passages in the hub, the plate and bracket being interchangeable to permit the reel to be mounted on either side of a lift truck upright without reversing the reel.

11 3,709,252 [4 1 Jan. 9, 1973 Primary Examiner-Samuel ScottAttorney-Hobbs and Green and Kemon, Palmer & Estabrook [57] ABSTRACT Areel for maintaining in a taut condition two parallel hose operatingunder different and variable fluid conditions such as encountered in theoperation of the upright of industrial lift trucks having a carriagewith an attachment thereon. The reel has a pair of reel sectionsrotatably mounted on a hub having longitudinal fluid passages therein.Each reel section is driven in the direction to wind the hose by a coilspring connected at one end to the reel section and at the other end tothe hub, and includes a coupling and passages connecting the hose ofeach section with one of the DUAL HOSE REEL Inventor: Arlo G. Bishop,Battle Creek, Mich.

[73] Assignee: Clark Equipment Company June 1, 1970 Appl. No.: 42,267

...1 37/355.l7 .B65h 75/36 137/355.17, 355.16, 355.18, 137/355.19,355.26, 355.28

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS United States Patent [1 1 Bishop[22] Filed:

51 [58] I Field of Search.......

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures fluid passages in the hub. A bracketsecured to one 'end of the hub mounts the feel on a supportingstructure, and s plate mounted on the other end of the hub closes thepassages in the hub, the plate and bracket being interchangeable topermit the reel to be mounted on either side of a lift truck uprightwithout reversing the reel.

137/355 17 ...l37/355.17 137/355.17 X ...l37/355.17 ...137/355.17....l37/355.17 ...137/355.17 l37/355.l7 X

Olson PATENTEDJAH 9:975 v 3.709252 sum 1 OF 4 64 FIG. I

o 0 0i I INVENTOR ARLO G. BISHOP ATTORNEYS PATENTEUJAH 9197a 3.709.252

' SHEET 2 0F 4 INVENTOR ARLO G. BISHOP ATTOR NEYS PATENTEDJAN 9191a3.709.252

sum 3 0F 4 FIG. 3

ENVENTOR ARLO s. BISHOP BY 74%?M ATTORNEYS DUAL HOSE REEL In certaintypes of hydraulic and pneumatic systems used on machines and vehicles,the connection between two operating parts, such as power cylinders andthe control valves therefor, includes a plurality of hose in place ofmetal tubes or pipes or other rigid connecting lines, to permit parts tobe moved relative to one another during normal operation of the machineor vehicle. For example, the hydraulic system used on industrial lifttrucks often contains one or more hydraulic cylinders on the carriagewhich move relative to the upright and the operators compartment wherethe control valves for the cylinders are normally located. The hydrauliclines between the control valves often contain two parallel hosearrangements for each cylinder mounted on the lift, connecting thesystem with the cylinders in such a manner that the connections for thecylinders are free to move upwardly and downwardly as the lift structureexpands and contracts. Since the movement between the connections orcouplings at two ends of each hose is substantial, relatively longsections of hose are required to permit the lift to fully expand andcontract during normal operation. In order to prevent the hose frominterfering with the operation or becoming entwined in the operatingmechanisms of the lift upright or wheels of the truck, a reel mounted onthe lift is used with each pair of hose, to remove much of the slack inthe hose section throughout most of the normal expanding and contractingoperation of the upright. However, during the operation of eachcylinder, only one hose is normally under pressure, and since the hoseunder pressure tends to expand in diameter and contract in length, thehose are of unequal length from time to time, thus causing theunpressurized hose to become loose and hence easily displaced from thereel and/or guide rollers is varied between the hose connections atopposite ends of the sections.

Another object of the invention is to. provide a dual hose reel whichwinds the hose section in an orderly manner such that the two unreeledsections are main-.

tained substantially equal in length regardless of the overall length ofthe two sections at any given time, and which assists in retaining thehose sections on guide rollers or pulleys to maintain the sections inoptimum position for following the moving parts to which they areconnected.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a dual hose reel fora lift truck upright, which is compact in construction and simple inoperation and which is so constructed and designed that it can bemounted on either side of the upright by merely shifting the supportbracket therefor from one side to the other without otherwise reversingthe position of the reel.

A further object is to provide a dual hose reel of the aforesaid typehaving operating fluid lines and connections for the hose in the hub, inwhich a simple, easily reached and manipulated coupling arrangement'isprovided for connecting the inner ends of the hose sections with thefluid lines in the reel hub, and in which the fluid connections can bereadily inspected and serviced without disassembling the reel.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an industrial lift truck with two of thepresent reels mounted on the upper end of the upright, showing theupright and the carriage thereon in their lowered positions;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upright shown in FIG. 1,showing the upright and the carriage thereon in their raised position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the reel shown in FIGS. 1and 2; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross sectional view of the reel shown in thepreceding figures, the section being taken on line 4 4 of FIG. 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawings and to FIG. 1 in particular,numeral 10 designates generally an industrial lift truck having frontand rear wheels 12 and 14, steering wheel 16, seat 18, and an upright 20on the front of the truck having mounted thereon a carriage 22 and reels24 and 26 on the right and left sides of the carriage, respectively. Anattachment (not shown) is mounted on carriage 22 and includes a pair ofhydraulic cylinders for manipulating the load engagement parts. Theindustrial truck on which the present reels are used may be consideredconventional for the purpose of the present description and may be ofany one of a number of well known suitable types, including thosepowered by a battery driven electric motor, or by a gasoline engine.Hence,-the details of the industrial truck will not be described indetail herein.

The upright 20 and carriage 22 mounted on the fork front of the trucklikewise may be considered conventional for the purpose of the presentdescription, the one shown briefly consisting of outer mast section 30,inner mast section 32 telescopically arranged with respect to the outermast section, and a hydraulic cylinder assembly 34 for operating dualchains 36 and 38 to raise and lower the inner mast section and thecarriage mounted on the front of the upright. The attachment mounted oncarriage 22 may be of any one of a number of types for performing avariety of different operations by the operation of hydraulic cylinders,the cylinders being operated from the hydraulic system of the truck,supplied through dual lines 40 and 42 to reel 24 and lines 44 and 46 toreel 26. The hydraulic fluid is transmitted from reels 24 and 26 tocarriage22 by hose 48 and 50 for reel 24 and hose 52 and 54 for reel 26.The four hose are connected to a hydraulic coupling indicated generallyby numeral 60 on the carriage, only one of said couplings being shown inthe drawings.

Lines 40, 42, 44, and 46 may be of metal tubing or flexible hose, andthe flexible hose 48, 50, 52, and 54 are of conventional constructionused for transmitting hydraulic fluid, normally consisting basically ofa rubber and fabric composition.

The two hose 48 and 50 are trained on pulleys or rollers 62 and 64mounted onthe upper right hand end of inner mast 32, and the hose 52 and54 are trained on pulleys or rollers 66 and 68 mounted on the upper lefthand end of the inner mast. As the carriage is moved upwardly anddownwardly on the upright and as the inner mast is raised and lowered,and four hose are unwound and wound on the two reel assemblies, passingover the respective rollers to the coupling on carriage 22. Inasmuch asthe two hose on each reel operate a single hydraulic cylinder, only oneof said lines is normally pressurized at any given moment. Consequently,the expansion of the pressurized hose in the lateral direction andcontraction in the longitudinal direction result in unequal lengthsbetween the two hose; thus on .the conventional reel the unpressurizedhose is slack 74 through which the hydraulic fluid is supplied fromlines 40, 42, 44, and 46 to the hose. The two reel sections areessentially the same in construction and operation, and-hence likenumerals will be given to like parts with a prime being used to identifythe parts of the reel section 72 as distinguished from the parts of reelsection 70. Section 70 consists of' a hub 76 with an inner bore 78 formounting on shaft 74, and discshaped flanges 80 and 82 secured to thehub by a plurality of screws 84 and 86, respectively, extending throughthe flanges into threaded holes in the sides of the hub. An annularmember 88 forms the periphery of the hub and the inner wall of thehose-receiving section of the reel. The two reel sections 70 and 72 aredriven in the direction to wind the hose by coil springs 90 and 92 forreel sections 70 and 72 respectively, the two coil springs beingenclosed inannular shields 94 and 96 secured to the inner flanges 82 and82, by screws 98 and 98'. The outer end of each of the two springs isjoined to the respective shield by rivets 100 and 100',

projection 1102 on the inner end of the spring extending into a slot 104on an annular member 106, which in turn is held fixed by a key 108 toshaft 74. Thus each of the two reel Isections70 and 72gis operatedindependently of the other and is constantly urged by the respectivespring in the direction to wind the hose thereon and thereby retain therespective hose-in a taut condition.

The hose of reel section 70 is connected to line 40 by coupling 110,passages 111 and 112, annular groove 114 in the bore of hub 76 and inthe surface of shaft 74, and aperture 116, and the hose of reel section72 is connected to line 42 by coupling 110', passages 111' and 112',annular groove 114', and aperature 116. Since hubs 76 and 76 of reelsections 70 and 72 rotate on shaft 74, annular seals 120 and 121 of therespective annular slots 114 and 114' seal the slots and prevent seepageof hydraulic fluid therefrom along the bearing surface of shaft 74 andhubs 76 and 76. Passages 112 and 112' extend the full length of shaft 74and are closed at their outer ends by a plate 122 secured to the end ofthe shaftby'screws 123 extending through the plate into threadedopenings 124 in the end of the shaft, O-rings 126 and 126 sealing theends of passages and the inner end is connected tothe shaft by a radialThe dual reel assembly is mounted on and secured to the lift uprightbyan L-shaped bracket 132 secured to the end of shaft 74 by a pluralityof screws 134 extending through the bracket into threaded openings l36in the end of the shaft. The plate 122 and bracket 132 areinterchangeable, and hence permit the reel assembly to be mounted eitheron the right or left side of the lift upright without otherwise changingthe reel mechanism. Outer flanges 80 and 80 of the two reels areprovided with openings 140 to permit a wrench to be inserted into thereel to manipulate coupling 110 to either connect or disconnect the hoseat its inner end.

In the operation of the present dual reel, with the reel mounted on theside of the upright of a lift truck and the two hose connected to therespective hydraulic system through couplings 110 and 110' and wound onthe respective reel, upward movement of the carriage initially causesboth hose to wind on the respective reel sections, when the upright isstationary, i.e., not extended or retracted. As the inner mast movesupwardly as the upright is extended, the hose on the two reel sectionsare unwound in opposition to the force of the two not, the unpressurizedhose is longer than the -pres'- surized hose; thus the two reelsections, operating independently, retain the two hose in a tautcondition, as illustrated in FIG. 2, regardless of the expansion orcontraction of the pressurized hose. Hence, both hose are held firmly ontheir respective reels and rollers and continue to operate in the samemanner and under like conditions, regardless of thedifferences inpressure conditions between the two hose. Since springs 90 and 92 areconstantly urging the respective reels in the direction to wind thehose, the two hose are retained in the taut condition regardless ofwhether the upright and/or carriage is being raised or lowered.

The dual hose reels are interchangeable between the right and left sidesof the mast, the only changes required to shift the positions being theinterchange of thebracket 132 and plate 122. The hose may be left woundon therespective reels and placed in operative position withoutunwinding and rewinding of the hose 9 on the .reels. This reducesinstallation time and minimizes service and repair and reduces theinventory necessary for maintenance of the equipment.

While only one embodiment of the present dual hydraulic hose reel hasbeen described in detail herein, various changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A reel for maintaining in a taut condition two parallel hoseoperating under different and variable fluid pressure conditions:comprising a shaft having two fluid passages therein extending inwardlyinto the hub from the same relative position with respect to oppositeends of the hub and from end to end of the shaft, two relativelyrotatable reel sections mounted on said shaft and having an annularinner member with a hose coupling therein communicating with differentfluid passages in said shaft, and a coil spring for each of said reelsections, each spring being connected at one end to said shaft and atthe other end to the respective reel section, a detachable mountingbracket secured to one end of said shaft, and a passage closure meansbeing secured to the other .end thereof and being interchangeable withsaid bracket.

2. A reel as defined in claim 1 in which each of said reel sectionsincludes spaced radially extending inner and outer flanges, and meansconnecting the coil spring for each of said reel sections to the innerflange of the respective reel section and to the shaft between saidsections.

3. A reel as defined in claim 2 in which the outer flanges contain anopening for receiving a tool to con nect a hose to said hose coupling.

4. A reel as defined in claim 1 in which said mounting bracket isrigidly and removably secured to one end of said shaft and includesports therein for connecting said passages with sources of fluid underpressure.

5. A reel as defined in claim4 in which said closure means consists of aplate secured to'the end of said shaft opposite said bracket for closingtheresp'ective ends of said fluid passages.

6. A reel as defined in claim 5 in which an annular groove enclosed bysaid reel sections surrounds said annular shaft and a port connects oneof said passages other of said passages with theother of said grooves.

7. A feel as defined in claim 5 in which said bracket and plate areinterchangeable to permit the reel to be mounted on a supportingstructure from either side of the reel I 8. A reel for maintaining in ataut condition two parallel hose operating under different and variablefluid pressure conditions: comprising a shaft having two fluid passagesextending from end to end of the shaft, two relatively rotatable reelsections mounted on said shaft and having an annular inner member with ahose coupling therein communicating with different fluid passages insaid shaft, and a coil spring for each of said reel sections,each springbeing connected at one end to said shaft and at the other end to therespective reel section, a detachable mounting bracket secured to oneend of said shaft, and a passage closure means being secured to theother end thereof and being inwith one of said grooves and another portconnects the terchangeable with said bracket.

9. A reel as defined in claim 8 in which each of said reel sectionsincludes spaced radially extending inner and outer flanges, and meansconnecting the coil spring for each of said reel sections to the innerflange of the respective reel section and to the shaft between saidsections.

10. A reel as defined in claim 9 in which the outer flange contains anopening for receiving a tool to con nec't a hose to said hose coupling.

1. A reel for maintaining in a taut condition two parallel hoseoperating under different and variable fluid pressure conditions:comprising a shaft having two fluid passages therein extending inwardlyinto the hub from the same relative position with respect to oppositeends of the hub and from end to end of the shaft, two relativelyrotatable reel sections mounted on said shaft and having an annularinner member with a hose coupling therein communicating with differentfluid passages in said shaft, and a coil spring for each of said reelsections, each spring being connected at one end to said shaft and atthe other end to the respective reel section, a detachable mountingbracket secured to one end of said shaft, and a passage closure meansbeing secured to the other end thereof and being interchangeable withsaid bracket.
 2. A reel as defined in claim 1 in which each of said reelsections includes spaced radially extending inner and outer flanges, andmeans connecting the coil spring for each of said reel sections to theinNer flange of the respective reel section and to the shaft betweensaid sections.
 3. A reel as defined in claim 2 in which the outerflanges contain an opening for receiving a tool to connect a hose tosaid hose coupling.
 4. A reel as defined in claim 1 in which saidmounting bracket is rigidly and removably secured to one end of saidshaft and includes ports therein for connecting said passages withsources of fluid under pressure.
 5. A reel as defined in claim 4 inwhich said closure means consists of a plate secured to the end of saidshaft opposite said bracket for closing the respective ends of saidfluid passages.
 6. A reel as defined in claim 5 in which an annulargroove enclosed by said reel sections surrounds said annular shaft and aport connects one of said passages with one of said grooves and anotherport connects the other of said passages with the other of said grooves.7. A reel as defined in claim 5 in which said bracket and plate areinterchangeable to permit the reel to be mounted on a supportingstructure from either side of the reel
 8. A reel for maintaining in ataut condition two parallel hose operating under different and variablefluid pressure conditions: comprising a shaft having two fluid passagesextending from end to end of the shaft, two relatively rotatable reelsections mounted on said shaft and having an annular inner member with ahose coupling therein communicating with different fluid passages insaid shaft, and a coil spring for each of said reel sections, eachspring being connected at one end to said shaft and at the other end tothe respective reel section, a detachable mounting bracket secured toone end of said shaft, and a passage closure means being secured to theother end thereof and being interchangeable with said bracket.
 9. A reelas defined in claim 8 in which each of said reel sections includesspaced radially extending inner and outer flanges, and means connectingthe coil spring for each of said reel sections to the inner flange ofthe respective reel section and to the shaft between said sections. 10.A reel as defined in claim 9 in which the outer flange contains anopening for receiving a tool to connect a hose to said hose coupling.